The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-04-23
the Whole of indianapolis from Nobles-
ville's Great, Gnshing Wells.
The Local Companies in the Meantime
Will Continue Their Prospecting.
More Wells To Be Bored at Brightwood--A
Proposition to Consolidate the Indianap-
oils Companies Not Received Favorably.


are called upon. day and night to tell of the
condition of their borings During the hardest
part of the Thursday night storm gentleman
in the northern part of the city saw a red glare
in the eastern sky, caused BY the burning Of
Meeks slaughterhouse. A cquare or two away
from the observers house lived director of the
Capital City Natural-gas Company. There the
excited citizen ran through the drench-
ing rain, and. ringing the directors door
bell as if he was bearer of vital
news. waited impatiently for the gas prospector
TO get out of bed. When he to the door
he received the greeting, II see they have
struck gas at Brightwood" The director fol-
lowed the pointing finger of his visitor to the
| east. saw the red light, and remarked: THAT is
no gas It is some house burning" A lady in
the part of the city is so interested in the ex
| periments that she has the morning paper sent
! to her room before she is out of bed Another
lady, much younger, was visiting in Muncie a
! few days ago. She was told that several
| large Indianapolis manufactures and bust
ness interests going to remove. to
| Muncie. Her Indianapolis pride was injured,
and the next day she returned home to learn
that what hao been told her was pretentious
| gossip Gas talk has entered the family circle
| Win y Oegre6 OF speculation tnatlS only eQual6Q
| by that hears in the street. It is very rupch
| in the same line, except that the ctock phrases
| that attend speculation are more frequently
heard. Everybody who has share of natural
| gas will be sure in the outse: of a conversation
to offer one of his theories, and back 1t up with
| rude diagram in unfolding his idea Of where to
find gas.
| Each company has its own idea. to which
every one belonging toit holds tenaciously. The
Indianapolis Naturalgas Company is strong in
the faith that no gas can be found nearer the
city than the Hamilton county fields. It will
not retract an in CHI from that position. WHILE on
the other hand. the Capital City company is de-
termined to continue prospecting about Bright
wood. Yesterday its directors decided to sink
three more wells in that neighborhood and to
| further test their first experiment by shooting
| it. The drill there is doing its work through
Trenton rock with continuous traces of oil.
Some of the bottled dust from about l, 100 feet.
| shown yesterday, had pungent odor of OIL
At Bridgeport the indianapolis company is
still drilling through shale. The directors do
not have much faith in the result. but they
determined to continue prospecting in that di-
| rection, with Westfeld the ecenter Of opera
tons
The Twelftb-street we'll will have machinery
to-day to pull its drill out of the hole. With this
productive line that it proposes to drill in that
locality, or somewhere near it, until gas
gas is assured.
With none of the companies is it the purpose
to stop, until the several sections where gas is
supposed to lie have been thoroughly tested. In
addition to these drillings, a new company is to
begin work at Haughville to-day. With inter-
ests so diverse. and each supported by the theo
OF their projectors, the proposition to have
all the local companies pool their capital is not
meeting with any favor. 1t was proposed that
this should be done capital of $3.50 000 and
to operate as ore strong organization of homo
money. AS it came from of the richest
companies. some thought snare lay behind by
which the few would profit at the expense Of the
many. By one company the proposition was
fatty declined. There is immediate chance
of the scheme being consummated.
! interviewer with this current news were in
timatiors in regard to the purposes of the
Standard Oil Company. That this powerful
corporation was figuring OF reaching Indanapo-
lis with pipe lines was accepted as certainty,
hut how far it had gone with its plans to that
end no one seemed TO know. Four months ago
VIM. Fleming in whose name the leasing of all
lands is made by the company, came to the city
to lay the basis for the pipeline enterprise.
Upon that information the Standard people have
been operating In closing leases IN what is re-
garded rs the gas belt. If their prospecting was
successful within twenty five miles of the city,
so much the better, but it is understood had this
failed, they would have laid their pipe plant a
greater distance. The company's purpose has
been to reach Indianapolis It is already sup
plying twenty-nne cities with gas for fuel pur-
poses
I'VE do not deal in illuminating gas" said
Col c. H. Payne, of Titusville. Pa, who has
charge of the gas resources of the company.
THAT is a mistaken idea illuminating gas COM
panies entertain, and hence we find at the out
most of the opposition from that source In
other cities into which we have laid our pipes
the illuminating companies have very soon
found that our purpose was not to injure them.
Indeed, we supply them with gas that can
be refined for Illuminating purposes and give a
much better light than you have here We are
doing this in some places"
sHave you decided to come to Indianapolis!'
Eyes. We want to come into the city with
our lines, and in doing so we will not antagonlze
any local company. The Indianapolis Council
will be asked st once TO give us an ordinance
that will allow us the privilege of the streets.
We will not ask for an exclusive franchise An
open ordinance will satisfy US. when that is
! obtained the city will have gas within four
months The moment obtain the privilege
work in laying pipes will begin. We have the
( money. have the pipes, and we have the Gas
to supply Indianapolis more readily than 1t can
get gas through other means"
what is your opinion AS to the presence Of
gas in the immediate vicinity of the cityl"
: Il do not think it be found nearer thar
: twelve miles The city must look to Hamilton
q | county There know have the resources
: and in the further preparations give Indianap
. oils her supply we intend To drill wells If
Q our Wainwright and other leases The Vain
wright we'll is the best | have seen outside oil
We do not allow gas to 60 to waste The ut
most care is taken of it, and know the
: richness Of our Nohlesville interests. which we
intend to bring to Indianapolis"
# s'Wnat is the average life of wellln
Il cannot say accurately. In Pennsylvania
there are wells that have been flowing for ifteeI
r years. There is at Titusviile that has beer
!, alive for twenty-one years. But these are $50
6 lated cases. We count wells bringing to Vi
Il the amount of our investment in piping plan
Q and other means in about four years and a half
+ 1t is possible for wells TO last for fen years
# Our calculations made on the fact that ever
y thousand feet of gas reduces tho supply tina
It much but no definite idea can be given as 20 III
: permanency of the resources, even with the ex
s. perience we have had with natura. gas.
a will cost IS 900 per mile lay pipes TO Indian
apols, and 800, 00G more TO put down the main
in the city"
Colonel Payne will leave for Fostoria. O., te
day and return here next week. j. IL. Mans
field has been appointed manager of the Stand
= ard OIL Companys gas interests IN this State
with headquarters in this city 1t is said tina
a in any event the company will bring its pipes I
the Belt railroad, with whose directors Coons
q Payne has Lad consultations IN regard TO tn
:, project
C. Operations in Other Parts of the State.